Board Chair Role Archives - The Governance Coach

Why the Board Chair Should Not Interpret the Board’s Directives to the CEO?

Posted by Richard Stringham
On January 13, 2022
Any Reasonable Interpretation, Board Chair Role, Board Communication, One Voice

When I first began governance consulting, I often ran into a misconception that the Board Chair was the CEO’s boss. I don’t encounter that nearly so often these days; but an odd remnant of that view still pops up – some think that the Chair should be the board’s spokesperson to the CEO. If I […]

Was that a Board Decision?

Posted by Richard Stringham
On March 25, 2020
Board Chair Role, Board Meetings

Readers of our blogs will recall that only the board as a whole has authority to make board decisions. It may delegate some of its authority to others (e.g., the CEO, board officers, or board committees), but there are some things it should never delegate to others and other decisions that it may choose to hold onto. If the board as a whole is holding authority for a decision, […]

How Formal Should Your Board Meetings Be?

Posted by Richard Stringham
On December 18, 2018
Board Chair Role, Board Meetings

Have you ever come away from a board meeting with a sense that the group could have made better collective decisions? Did you feel that a healthy conversation would be far more productive than a set of orchestrated motions that you are expected to vote upon following some rather tightly controlled debate which doesn’t seem […]

Who’s The Real CEO?

Posted by Andrew Bergen
On March 6, 2018
Board Chair Role, Board Leadership

In the most recent edition of the Harvard Business Review, author Stanislav Shekshnia has written an article titled, “How to Be a Good Board Chair.”* He bases his findings on the results of interviews with many current and former chairs of large corporations. It’s worth the read. He makes 8 points about what makes for […]